OZARK – With the Navajo Nation on strict lockdown due to an extremely high per-capita coronavirus infection rate and resulting cases, Scott Watson, lead pastor of River Bluff Fellowship here, knew the decision to modify their annual mission trip to Kayenta, Ariz., was the right one. “We’ve been going there for 13 years and bringing 30 to 50 people each time we go and we love it, but we decided to change our plans for two reasons: first, we did not want to go there and increase their … [Read more...]
Cooperative mask ministry covers Steelville
STEELVILLE – The masks they had on hand that day were made specifically for members of their church. Hand-delivering them had allowed Lois and Don Wissman, pastor at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church here, to check in on their mostly senior adult congregation since the COVID-19 social distancing regulations went into effect. But when they arrived at one church member’s housing complex, they were stopped by a small group of people who asked if they could have a mask as well. “That day I only … [Read more...]
FBC Warsaw votes unanimously for revitalization
WARSAW – Though he’d only been filling in at the pulpit for less than a month, First Baptist Church, Warsaw (FBCW) unanimously voted to call Pastor Tom Renfro to be their interim while they continued their pastor search. “It’s amazing how fast my wife, Cindy, and I built a rapport and were able to connect to them,” said Renfro, who has served bi-vocationally for years and recently retired early from his position as a college professor. “They offered me the interim position and I said I was … [Read more...]
Rural Rock Springs reaps growth after years of prayer
LICKING – As the Lord spoke to him and the weight of conviction mounted on his heart, John Jordan white-knuckled the pew in front of him and fervently prayed. On that day—August 29, 1999, Jordan prayed for deliverance and he submitted his life to Christ… but he didn’t stop there. “I remember it so clearly,” he said. “I walked up the aisle and I was with the pastor and he said, ‘Do you want to pray?’ And I said yes. I knew what was missing because I had grown up in and out of church. I … [Read more...]
FBC Blue Springs brings hope to Nicaragua
MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Attaching the front door is Lee Sisney’s favorite part of the home building project. “It’s the last step and there’s something so satisfying in seeing a project completed,” said Sisney, worship pastor at First Baptist Church Blue Springs (FBCBS). “I guess it’s because once the front door gets put on, the home is secure. Once the front door’s on, it’s ready for a family to move in.” Sisney was able to help attach front doors on ten houses last July, when he along with … [Read more...]
‘Feed My Sheep’ event benefits St. Francois County food pantries
DESLOGE – Baked with love by each church’s pastor, the table of decorated cakes looked good enough to eat. Everyone gathered around the auction block to see how much his or her pastor’s cake would go for this year. Jack and Elizabeth Poston, long-time members of First Baptist Church (FBC) here and the founders of the Feed My Sheep fundraiser event, heard that congregations from two local Methodist churches held a separate event in order to raise extra money to bid on their beloved pastor’s … [Read more...]
Churches cooperate to bring free camp to teens
HOUSTON – At 14-years-old, the young girl had seen things that no child should ever have to see. “When she came to camp we knew she had went through so much and she was just distraught, her eyes were almost dead inside,” said Delta Hernandez, a youth leader at Boone Creek Baptist Church in Licking and one of the founders of G1, a free youth summer camp held at Simmons Baptist Camp here. “We prayed for her and watched while God got a hold of her at camp. She started coming to youth group … [Read more...]
Hilldale Baptist Church honors veterans, hosts PTSD benefit
NEOSHO – Approximately 22 veterans commit suicide each day—according to a 2012 report put out by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the personal demons servicemen and women face are real and devastating. “These brave men and women see things no one wants to see,” said Luke Renfro, member of Hilldale Baptist Church here. “The darkness is so overwhelming that these guys can’t see daylight; their eyes can’t see value in anything because of what’s haunting … [Read more...]
Mission in Mexico: Canaan Baptist trains leaders to ‘be the Church’
ATECINGO, Mexico — The lack of true discipleship at Primera Iglesia Bautista had been heavy on Pastor Alejandro’s heart for a while. “He told us they were a congregation that has tried one event after another, hoping something would happen,” said Mike Self, pastor of discipleship and church administration at Canaan Baptist Church in St. Louis. “By the end of the third day of the conference, Pastor Alejandro explained to his members that he saw this as a holistic approach to how the church … [Read more...]
Revitalization effort brings hope to Neosho church
NEOSHO – The people at New Salem Baptist Church were upset at the news and, quite frankly, Pastor Philip Martin was surprised they didn’t fire him right then and there. “I said, ‘Look guys the hard truth is that financially we are not doing well and the numbers have been stagnate for a while,’” said Martin, who has served at New Salem for nine years. “I told them if we continued to go on like we have been we would not make it more than five or six years.” The congregation, which consisted … [Read more...]
Mount Vernon ministry creates alcohol-free entertainment option
MOUNT VERNON – Sports jerseys line the walls and the savory smell of smoked ribs fills the air as Hilda Horner bounces from one table to the next, making sure everyone has what they need before kick-off. It’s hard to believe that just last year Horner was in jail; arrested and taken off the streets after another one of her downward spirals with drugs and alcohol. Now, only a few months later, she’s practically a permanent fixture at Whosoever’s, volunteering to help launch this hangout … [Read more...]
Round Grove prioritizes church-wide biblical literacy
MILLER – It’s one thing for a church to simply agree with the supremacy of Scripture, but it’s quite another to intentionally train church members on how to interpret, engage, and rely upon Scripture for everyday life. But Mark Fugitt says that that is exactly what the local church is called to do. “If the local church doesn’t step into this role, either it won’t happen, or the void will be filled by someone else—often unvetted online sources or others that aren’t interested in walking … [Read more...]
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